Many Christians believe the book of Revelation is a prophesy about the end of the world in our future. They say the events told of in the prophesy are too fantastic to refer to anything which has already happened in human history. The problem with this thinking is that these Christians are applying Revelation’s imagery to the physical realm when they should apply it to the spiritual realm.
The most scandalous thing ever to happen in human history was when humanity murdered the son of God on the cross. This is the most important event to ever happen, and it will always be so. Yet, while this event was happening, most of the world was completely unaware of it. No one in China, for example, had any idea that their own creator had become a man and was dying on a cross. Even those who were directly involved with the crucifixion were unaware of what they were truly doing. “Father, forgiven them; for they do not know what they’re doing.” In the spiritual realm, however, when our Lord was crucified, the whole world was being destroyed.
The book of Revelation revealed what happened in the spiritual realm in the first century. The symbols will only seem to be too fantastic if one applies them to the physical realm. The entire old world was crashing down and a new world was being created by the death and resurrection of Christ. The first century is the most important century of human history, and always will be.
We also know the book of Revelation was fulfilled in the first century because that’s what the book itself tells us…
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Revelation 1:1-3, NKJV (emphasis mine)
Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.
“Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.”
Revelation 22:6-10, NKJV (emphasis mine)
The symbology of Revelation best fits the events of the first century when the old world was replaced by the new — the most important century of all time.
Within the world of eschatology there are some dark alleys. By dark, I do not mean evil, but rather places in which things are not clearly seen and which can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. Unfortunately, some of these eschatological alleys have caused some to become disillusioned enough to leave their faith, or prevented them from having faith to begin with.
One such alley is found when comparing Matthew 24 with 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 15. If you consider Matthew 24 to be about a still future end of the world, you won’t find yourself in this alley, but I would question your scholarship. Matthew 24, along with Luke 21 and Mark 13, are most certainly passages concerning AD70. Many who study eschatology consider 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 15 to be about a still future resurrection and end of history. But, what happens when we compare these passages? Consider the chart below…
There are some obvious parallels between all three passages, and one has to ask: If A=B, and B=C, does not A=C? Are these passages future or past? I have my own opinions, but this requires further study.
Many Christians today believe we are in the last days. They have their reasons for believing so, and those reasons always turn out to be wrong. In fact, there have been dozens upon dozens of end time predictions over the last several centuries that have all failed to come true.
We are now 2000 years removed from when Jesus rose from the dead. That means Jesus was closer in time to Abraham than He was to us. All that history, from Abraham to Isaac, to Jacob, to Joseph, to the Egyptian slavery, to the exodus, to the founding of Israel, to the line of Israelite kings, to the prophets, to the exile, to the return from exile, to the rebuilding of the temple, to the Greek period, and finally to the Roman period and Jesus — all that history passed in a time shorter than the time from Jesus to us today. And in all that time we have been waiting for Jesus to return, and have put forth one failed prediction after another. Something is wrong here.
Why did all the New Testament authors speak as though they were living in the last days? And why do so many Christians today think they are living in the last days? The answer is that we today don’t know what we are talking about. Every 20 years another stupid end times book comes out which is proven wrong 10 years after it’s published. End times teachers disagree with each other and contradict each other. How many more centuries will it take the Church to shed light on those dark alleys?
Gary Demar, a well known voice in the world of Eschatology, has come under fire recently because he has dared to call out the inconsistencies of well known end time teachers. I’ll share his reaction to this in a video and article he wrote below. Demar is not someone who can be ignored and I hope that his position today will push things in the right direction in the years to come.
What did Jesus mean when He said, “some of you shall not taste death…?” Consider this scripture…
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of man shall come [μέλλω — is about to come] in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
-Matthew 16:24-28
This passage can be a problem for Christians. Is Jesus saying He will return (vs 27) before all His disciples die (vs 28)? If so, was Jesus wrong in predicting His own return?
There are three other questions we must ask (and answer as best we can) in order to answer those first ones: 1) When Jesus says, “some… shall not taste death…,” what time frame can we deduce from that? 2) What is meant by “the Son of man coming in His kingdom?” 3) Is vs 27 and vs 28 referring to the same event?
The first question answered…
Jesus makes the interesting statement that some of His disciples (and possibly some of the crowd who were also present [Mark 8:34]) would not taste death before they see the Son of man come in His kingdom. He makes the same statement in Mark 9:1, and again in Luke 9:27. To “taste death” means, in fact, to die (see Hebrews 2:9), but for Jesus’s disciples it was not a final death of course. And they would not all die before this great event, but perhaps most would.
The plain reading of Jesus’s statement tells us that this event would be far enough in the future so that some, if not most, of His followers would already have died, but not so far in the future that they would have all died.
Many scholars and commentators suggest that Jesus is referring to the transfiguration here (for example click here, here, here, or here). In the text, we see that the transfiguration occurred 6-8 days later. These scholars suggest that because the event of the transfiguration occurs directly after Jesus makes His statement, the two must be connected. I don’t doubt there is a significance between the two, but the significance of Jesus implying some would die before the Son of man comes in His kingdom outweighs the significance of the order of the narrative. How many disciples died in those 6-8 days? None that I’m aware of.
Imagine speaking like Jesus in another context…
Teacher: Good news kids! It’s only 6 more days till your summer vacation!
Kids: Yaaaaaaay!!!
Teacher: And you know what else?! Some of you will live to see the last day of school!
Kids: <looks of fear and confusion followed by weeping>
Putting it plainly, if you tell a group of adults that something will happen in the future, and that some of them will die before it happens, but not all of them will die, you are talking about an event that is approximately 30-50 years in the future. The “Son of man coming in His kingdom,” from the perspective of Jesus’s disciples, was an event which would happen towards the end of the first century.
Jesus makes a similar statement in Matthew 10:23, which also places the event of “the Son of man coming in His kingdom” potentially decades into the disciples’ future.
The second question…
Daniel 7:13-14 says…
13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Psalm 110 says…
1 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Matthew 26:61-65 says…
61 [Two false witnesses] said, This fellow [Jesus] said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.
62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?
63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye seethe Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
65 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
Luke 21:20-27 says…
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:15-16 (compare to Luke 21:20-21 above), 27-34 says…
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains…
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mark 13:14 (compare to Luke 21:20-21 above), 26-30 says…
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains…
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
I encourage anyone reading this (*crickets*) to read the full chapters referred to above, but I think these sections of scripture are sufficient to show us that the “Son of man coming in His kingdom” is at least referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD70. AD70 fits the vocabulary of question #2, and it fits the time frame of question #1. The “Son of man” on the clouds is not to be seen as Jesus physically riding a cloud in the sky attacking Jerusalem, but rather it is the coronation and vindication of King Jesus. (Read also Luke 17:20-37.)
If you don’t agree with me, some guy writing a blog no one reads, perhaps you’ll agree with N.T. Wright…
Click here to read more from N.T. Wright and his views on this subject.
Thirdquestion…
Matthew 16:27 says, “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” We can see parallels to this from the above quoted texts concerning AD70: Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27. The angels gather the saints into the Church while Jesus judges. This is a judgement on Israel first, and is not the final judgement of all mankind. (However, this gathering and judging does carry on in history as the Church expands into the world. The word “angel” simply means messenger. And the messengers who gather in the elect throughout history are people — Christians working to complete the great commission.)
As Jesus describes it in Luke 13:23-35…
23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,
24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.
29 And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.
30 And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
33 Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
See also Matthew 25.
So, to answer the third question, I would say yes, Matthew 16 verses 27 and 28 are referring to the same event. However, the in-gathering of the saints and the judgement of Jesus carries on throughout human history until the final judgement and the last day resurrection.
Pursuit of Percipience 